Nijellen (formerly known as Knikkegen) is a city, southeast of Van Gotterdam. It is the hometown of Rima from Team Primary. It is also the city where the Bakker siblings, among them Jelle Bakker, are based. Here they started the Knikkegen Marble League, a regional marble sports competition held in the stadium, the Bakker Bowl. During the mid-2010s, the KML grew in popularity attracting the attention of Greg Woods who ran the Fruit Circuit. In late 2014, Woods met the Bakker siblings and they began planning an expansion to the KML that would add an international league. In 2015 this plan was expanded further to the entire tournament, becoming the Marble League. The Bakker Bowl hosted Marble League 2016 and 2017 before competing teams started to host the competition.[1]
During Marble League 2018, a snowstorm hit Hailfern, the host city of the competition, triggering an avalanche that destroyed the host stadium, the Arctic Circle. Upon surveying the damage, the Bakker siblings and the IMC decided to move the final event, the Sand Mogul Race, to the Bakker Bowl as a temporary stadium.[2]
Following the success of the 2021 Marble League, the city was renamed to Nijellen in honor of Jelle Bakker and their achievements.[3]
Trivia[]
- Knikkegen is a mix of words between "knikker", the Dutch word for "marble", and Nijmegen, the home city of Jelle Bakker.
- Similarly, Nijellen is a mix of words between Nijmegen and Jelle.
References[]
- ↑ Stynth, The Emperor, Vector (21st September 2021). RetRollSpective – Team Primary. Project Marblearth.
- ↑ Stynth, The Emperor (12th October 2021). RetRollSpective – Snowballs. Project Marblearth.
- ↑ Stynth (24th December 2021). A Farewell From Felynia. Project Marblearth.